Israel vs South Africa
Israel vs South Africa: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending in 2025: 17.8% of government spending in Israel and 2.2% of government spending in South Africa, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Israel, by 15.6 percentage points, or 8.13 times that in South Africa.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Israel has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
- In 2025, Israel ranked 10 and South Africa ranked 135 of 150 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Israel | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17.8 | 2.2 |
| 2024 | 19.3 | 2.3 |
| 2023 | 13.4 | 2.5 |
| 2022 | 11.7 | 2.7 |
| 2021 | 12 | 2.6 |
| 2020 | 11.4 | 2.8 |
| 2019 | 12.8 | 2.8 |
| 2018 | 13.1 | 3 |
| 2017 | 13.7 | 3.2 |
| 2016 | 13.6 | 3.2 |
| 2015 | 14 | 3.3 |
| 2014 | 14.3 | 3.5 |
| 2013 | 13.3 | 3.6 |
| 2012 | 13.4 | 3.6 |
| 2011 | 13.8 | 3.6 |
| 2010 | 14.4 | 3.5 |
| 2009 | 14.3 | 3.8 |
| 2008 | 15 | 4 |
| 2007 | 15.1 | 4.3 |
| 2006 | 14 | 4.7 |
| 2005 | 14.1 | 4.9 |
| 2004 | 14.2 | 5.3 |
| 2003 | 13.6 | 5.8 |
| 2002 | 12.7 | 6.2 |
| 2001 | 13.5 | 5.9 |
| 2000 | 13.9 | 5.5 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 150 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Israel vs South Africa
Health
- Life expectancyIsrael: 82.4 years in 2023South Africa: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIsrael: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024South Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIsrael: 2.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionIsrael: 3.83% in 2017South Africa: 3.75% in 2017
- Suicide rateIsrael: 5.7 per 100,000 people in 2017South Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIsrael: 9.26 million people in 2023South Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023
- Population growthIsrael: 1.42% a year in 2023South Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIsrael: 2.83 births per woman in 2023South Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIsrael: 91.6% in 2025South Africa: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageIsrael: 29.2 years in 2023South Africa: 28.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIsrael: 12.4% in 2023South Africa: 6.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateIsrael: 1.1 per 1,000 people in 2023South Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIsrael: 7.81% of GDP in 2025South Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIsrael: $43.7B in 2025South Africa: $3B in 2025
- Military spending per personIsrael: $5,108 in 2025South Africa: $49 in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIsrael: 178,000 people in 2020South Africa: 89,000 people in 2020
- National powerIsrael: 0.38% of world capability in 2022South Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIsrael: 4.23% of the labour force in 2020South Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIsrael: 537 million TIV in 2025South Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIsrael: 2.62 billion TIV in 2025South Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025